Moonlight
by Crimson Elemental Alchemist
Summary: What happens when a teenage girl decides to run away from home, but ends up running into the Feudal Era instead! NarakuXoc pairing.
1. A Sour Christmas After All

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_._

_Crimson: Hello, everyone! I'm really trying to get into my writing so I hope you'll forgive me for not keeping everything updated very well . . . I've been having several problems. I'll work on that, trust me. _

_Kanna: Crimson does not own _InuYasha_. She does own the character Isume and her mother, though._

_Crimson: Kanna?! **jumps three feet in the air** Where did you come from?_

_Kanna: Naraku has sent me to keep an eye on you._

_Crimson: **sighs** Oh well, can't do anything about that. **waves hand** Now! On with the story!_

* * *

**Chapter One–**

**A Sour Christmas After All**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"It wasn't me!" Isume yelled at the top of her lungs, anger flushing her cheeks beet-red. "I did NOT steal your damn money! Got that!" Hot gusts of breath blew the stray strands of her black hair out of her face. The teenage girl glared at her accusing mother, daring her to falsely punish her.

"Don't take that tone with me, Isume!" Her pudgy mother waved an index finger at her. "Your brother and sister say that they didn't take it so one of you are lying." She watched Isume expectantly, obviously waiting for a confession. This only made Isume grow angrier.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS BLAME ME?!" she screamed at her furious mother, spinning on her heel to rush inside her small room. Isume slammed the door on her parent's face, knowing that the woman would not pursue her. It was too late into the night for her mother to waste any of her "precious" energy. The teenager scowled at the wooden door until she heard the heavy footfalls of her mother stomping off to bed. Isume whirled around to face her bed, hair flying with the sudden, jerky movement. She stared hatefully at the heavy, blue covers. An idea popped into her head; Isume strode over to her bookcase. Extracting a yellow-bound book, the girl read the cover: _InuYasha_. She hugged it to her chest as she wearily walked back to the bed. Sinking onto the cold mattress, Isume gazed at the cover of her favorite manga. She sighed, her previous anger making way for a sudden sadness.

"Sometimes I just wish this was real and I could be a part of it," she looked out of the small window and spotted the mysterious grove of trees that always seemed to be hiding something. "I'm leaving tonight. After all, I _am _eighteen." She smiled as she hopped up and began packing everything she could into a dark-blue backpack. "I'm going to need some food, money, water, clothes, and my sketch pad. I'm sure I can get some money from my drawings." As she listed the things she needed, she shoved them into her bag. Then she spotted her notebook on her bed and whisked it, too, into the pack. She just couldn't bear the thought of leaving behind her stories.

As she was heading out of her room, Isume's sharp eyes caught sight of her silver ring on the nightstand. Quietly, she stole over to it and snatched it up; securing it around her neck by the long chain that held it. She held it up in her hand, marveling at the blue stone in the center of her grandfather's ring. He had sent it to her as a gift right before he died, but her creative imagination liked to dream up that he had given it to her in order to protect either her or the ring from something dangerous. Either way, she loved and cherished it.

Isume slunk out the back door, closing it gently with a happy grin lighting her features. She practically flew across the yard, heading for the trees she had spotted earlier from her window. She wasn't about to leave without seeing the reason behind her restlessness concerning that tree grove. Although she felt free at last, she still couldn't help but feel a bit guilty at leaving her family on Christmas Eve. Isume refused to look back at the house, directing her gaze instead on her present destination. The moonlight caressed her smooth skin, guiding her through the bare fields as she fled.

The mud of the cornfield she had to cross stuck to her tan tennis shoes, caking the bottoms so much that she was finding it increasingly harder to walk. Still, Isume struggled through it, excitement bubbling up in her to the point where she felt ready to burst with curiosity. Finding her only outlet for such energy, she began to run. Slipping and sliding but still maintaining her balance, Isume steadily made her way to the silvery tree grove. At last, she stumbled onto the long-bladed grass growing amongst the trees.

Panting through her curtain of black hair, Isume surveyed the trees. Straightening up, she moved to inspect the rough bark of the nearest one. As she lay a gentle hand on its surface, a strange symbol, etched in a pulsing blue light, appeared. Its brilliant rays blinded her. Isume gasped in surprise, thrusting her arms out when she felt her body pitch forward and her feet swept from the ground.


	2. Moon Dew

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_._

_Crimson: Hello again! I hope you like this next chapter. The ring in the previous chapter will crop up again in the future. In this chap, I plan to have Isume meet someone from _InuYasha_. Kanna, if you please._

_Kanna: Crimson Elemental Alchemist does now own _InuYasha_. She does own Isume and her family . . . Isume is supposed to be her since she has a cru–_

_Crimson: **covers Kanna's mouth** That's enough, Kanna. Read on!_

_

* * *

**  
**_

**Chapter Two–**

**Moon Dew**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Sharp blades of grass irritated her face, bringing her back to the world of the living. The fallen girl heaved herself into a sitting position, shaking her head groggily. She soon found out that was a very bad idea. Black, unbound hair obscured her pained expression as she bowed her head, waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass. Meanwhile, Isume wondered what had happened at that strange tree. She also found herself pondering the fact as to why she had been there in the first place. _'That's silly. I was there because . . .'_ Her brown eyes widened. _'Hold on! _Why_ was I there?' _She cradled her pounding head in her fists, swinging it furiously as if she could stir her lost memory to the surface. Why couldn't she remember?! The only thing she could recall about herself was her name; even her family was lost to her. Isume stopped shaking her aching head, tensing her muscles in a sudden realization: what if she didn't have a family?

Sadly, Isume resigned herself to observe her surroundings. She wouldn't get anywhere by sinking into self-pity. Somehow, she knew what she had to do: she had to get to a town and purchase supplies. Since she couldn't remember anything, maybe she could pursue her own memories by traveling.

Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her: a forest. She had fallen in a forest, and a gorgeous forest at that. Sunlight showered the emerald leaves, creating a complicated pattern on the forest floor. The grass itself seemed to be spun from velvet (at least it _looked_ soft, but Isume knew better after spending a night on the prickly blades). _'No wonder they're called 'blades'_,_'_ she thought to herself, rubbing the creases in her abused cheek. The rumpled girl glanced behind her and spotted an old well. Curious, Isume made her way over to it. As she reached the rotting wood, she precariously leaned over the dented rim. Her mouth gaped open when she spotted the gleaming white of discarded bones lining the bottom. She moved away from the inky depths of the well, still surprised at what she had seen.

"InuYasha," she whispered, awestruck. Well, at least she had recalled one thing from her past: her favorite manga. It wasn't much help in her present situation, of course. "This has to be a trick. A cartoon can't come to life!" _'This bites_,_'_ she thought ruefully, _'my dream has come true, but I'm so unprepared for it.' _Isume gnawed at her lip, frustrated. She didn't have choice: she would have to blend in with the people. If she didn't, then she would be a sitting duck adorned with a bright-red bullseye around her neck. She didn't relish the idea of being hunted down because of _when_ she came from. If she did have any fighting abilities in her, then they were currently locked within her lost memories; and she didn't have the key to unlock them . . . .

Isume sighed, hugging her blue bag close to her chest as she began walking out of the forest. She took a guess at which direction to go. She had no idea how to get around feudal Japan. A soft breeze eased her hair back; the straight strands dancing on the breath of wind. The girl sighed in comfort. Maybe this wasn't such a bad predicament after all. She would get to have a wonderful adventure. Isume passed through the heavy foliage, following her instincts.

* * *

Peering out from a particularly dark spot in the shade of the trees, scarlet eyes followed the girl's stealthy progress. A pale mouth curved in a smirk as the disguised hanyou watched her head toward Kaede's village. _'Interesting_,_'_ thought Naraku. _'That girl must be from Kagome's strange land. She may prove useful for later, but I'll let her lead me to the miko first.' _He sank back into the shadows, merging with them fully once more. A buzzing filled the small clearing as one of Naraku's Saimyosho emerged from the dissipating darkness. "Follow the girl. Make certain that she is the miko's comrade," Naraku's order resonated throughout the area as the man himself disappeared. The over-large bee flew off in the direction of the retreating female who had no idea how much danger she was in.

* * *

Isume slipped into the smooth fabric, enjoying the feel of the soft kimono. Her words of gratitude filled the ears of the young woman who stood behind her, keeping careful watch at the door to the small hut. The villager turned and smiled brightly at the strange newcomer.

"It was nothing, really. Your odd clothes looked so uncomfortable that it was the least I could do," she smiled at Isume. "Besides, you paid me well with this beautiful drawing." She held up an ink painting of a black wolf staring off into the sunset with two of her fuzzy pups playing at her heels. Embarrassment colored Isume's cheeks at the praise; she held up her hands in a futile effort to ward off more sentiments.

"I sure hope so, but why do you need to keep watch at the door while I change? Surely no one comes in uninvited, do they?" Isume took note of the other girl's blushing face as she answered.

"Actually, there is a monk here that tends to . . . well, let's just say he likes to admire the village women." She heaved a great sigh. Isume wondered if the girl sounded more weary or more affectionate of this peeping tom. She mentally shook off that thought, focusing, instead, on what she had just been informed.

_'So InuYasha and the others are here, huh?'_ She grimaced in annoyance. _'That's just great. With that dog nose of his, InuYasha will know that I'm from Kagome's time. And, for some reason, I don't want to return to wherever (or whenever) I came from.'_ She turned her back on the woman who now had a dreamy look on her face. Isume began to transfer her belongings from the blue bookbag to a frayed tan bag. True, the backpack looked more hardy than the old-fashioned sidebag, but she needed to blend in with ancient times. Therefore, she had to get rid of her "future" belonging. Well, at least the ones that were visible to the naked eye–her backpack and her clothes. Those she could do without anyhow. The woman, Tokai, who had presented her with the bag and the change of clothing in exchange for her art, had been right: her black sweater had been raking at her skin, and the tight jeans had started to dig into her belly. Isume savored the free feeling of the kimono rather than the stifling experience of her former clothes. She even admired its style: a dark shade of purple with three silver flowers running down the right sleeve. Although she could barely stand the fact that she was wearing a dress of all things. Still, a kimono was far better than any modern gown or anything like that (prom dresses, yuck!)

"Oh! Well, isn't this a fine sight to see," a male voice announced from behind her, interrupting her blissful thoughts.

Isume's gaiety evaporated at the words and dread replaced it. Great! Miroku's here. She would be lucky indeed if she got away by nightfall. She spun around, putting on a false smile. She let out a breath of gratitude when she caught sight of Tokai blushing furiously at the doorway. The lecherous monk had yet to notice her in the gloom of the hut. Isume took advantage of her stroke of good fortune, and, without a second thought, snatched up her new bag and took off out the back.

* * *

Naraku had watched Isume's interaction with the young village maiden, relishing the several occasions when she had blushed a deep scarlet at her new acquaintance's continued appraisal. Even the dark hanyou himself had to admit that the artwork possessed a certain unique life to it that many had difficulty capturing. Naraku frowned at his obvious enjoyment when Isume had changed behind the clothing screen. Why should he, Naraku, care about what lay behind the covering screen? Kanna's mirror continued with its mini-show; the black-hearted demon sat still, viewing the rest of the girl's visit. Surprise dimly registered in his mind as something unexpected happened.

"Why does she flee from the monk?" he questioned, observing the direction Isume took. "Surely if she travels with the miko then she would not turn from one of her companions." Naraku pondered this for several minutes, turning his gaze away from Kanna's mirror. Maybe he could unveil these mysteries for himself . . . .

* * *

White vapor billowed upward from the heated water, beckoning Isume with tantalizing fingers. The girl sighed in appreciation as she eased herself into the warm liquid, delighted with the gentle caress of the ripples on her sore muscles. She quickly ducked her head beneath the steaming surface, unable to resist the urge to submerse herself fully into such delicious heat. Soaking, black hair framed her relaxed expression when she came up. Isume grinned in pleasure, happy that her good luck hadn't run out yet.

Night hadn't even fallen by the time she had spotted the hot springs. She had been so relieved to see them that all her other problems had flown from her mind. Isume had ended up traveling all day in an effort to put as much distance as possible between her and the InuYasha group. Of course, she would love to journey with them, but she feared that they would try to force her back home through the well. Wherever "home" was. Besides, she had her own goals to reach first.

Isume sighed again, watching the last of the sun's rays flare on the horizon, staining it a blood-red before giving way to the dark of night. Remembering something from the journal she had found among her things, Isume glanced up at the moon and saw that it was full. Soon after spotting it, the girl experienced a strange sensation pass over her skin. Goosebumps formed beneath the moon's light and her long hair swirled lightly on the water's dark surface (and, she could swear, some of it was floating in the air around her head). Isume watched in awe as silver colored the ends of her hair; she felt the tips of her ears and realized that they had become pointed. Recalling a particular passage from the journal, Isume would have to guess that her eyes had turned to silver as well.

Instead of feeling fear or shock, Isume only sighed in annoyance. This would just make things all the more difficult for her. How was she supposed to blend in now! Being part moon maiden or celestial being (or so she had surmised from the book) meant that she would appear as a full-blooded one under the light of the full moon. Hopefully, it was the only surprise the fates had in store for her. Isume seriously doubted it, though . . . .

"So, you are hanyou?" a dark voice declared from behind her. Isume froze in the hot water, recognizing the voice easily. _'Naraku_._'_ She circled carefully, not wanting to reveal anything more to the wicked hanyou than she had to. He was wearing his baboon pelt, though he had pulled back the hood to reveal his head. _'So, it really is Naraku_,_'_ Isume thought. _'Not one of his golems_._'_ Self-conscious, the girl crossed her arms across her submerged breasts. She failed to catch the frown on her observer's face. Bright red shaded her cheeks under his steady perusal. He may be evil, but he was still a man. Isume was having trouble standing up to him in such an under-dressed state (okay, fine, _completely naked state_). The young woman remained as she was, although everything inside her was screaming to duck beneath the concealing water.

"Wh-what do you want?" Isume stuttered at him, fear clearly coating her words. Isume hated herself for the obvious fright in her voice. Naraku's satisfied smirk only succeeded in irritating her further. The crimson of his eyes grew mysteriously darker at the question.

"I believe it's more appropriate to ask what I am here for; not what I desire," he said in a husky tone. The tempting sight before him came to the forefront of his mind. Isume remained motionless, but shivered under his intense gaze. The white-cloaked man took off his baboon pelt and flung it around the surprised girl; a false look of concern passing over his features all the while. _'So he plans on using me for something, eh?' _Isume allowed Naraku to pull her from the water, bare body thankfully concealed within the white pelt. _'Then I'll just have to play along, if I value my life.'_


	3. Secret of the Rosary

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha

_Crimson: Okay! Hello, people! Time for the story to continue!_

_Naraku: **appears from nowhere** Why are you always so happy?_

_Crimson: You–um–actually, you **blushes**_

_Naraku: Me?_

_Crimson: Yeah, well, anyway. I don't own _InuYasha_; though I wish I did. I do own Isume. Now on with the story! Hurry, before he figures out what I meant!_

_Naraku: Hold on. You like me?_

_Crimson: **ready to die from embarrassment** READ ON!_

* * *

**  
**

**Chapter Three–**

**Secret of the Rosary**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Isume wandered through the temple atop Mt. Hakurei, a feeling of peace settling over her. She stopped in the main archway and stared out across the lands. _'So beautiful. I feel as if I am home.' _The gleaming white of the building's cracked walls comforted rather than hurt her eyes. A breeze whisked away the hair in her face, snaking through the silk of her newest outfit. Isume fingered the dark-purple cloth of her hakama and the silver of her haori. She wondered why he would present her with new clothes. What did he want with her? The peaceful sensation dissipated as soon as she left the silent halls of the blessed temple. She had promised Naraku that she would return soon. Isume had told him that she had to come up to the temple; had to know why she was being pulled there. Now that she had traversed the glamorous halls of the building, she didn't really want to leave.

Isume sighed, twirling the silver ends of her long hair between her fingers. She smirked; the change the full moon had wrought still hadn't faded even with the passing of a whole day. So much for that story she had run across in the journal. Still, it hadn't said that the transformation would pass. Maybe it was permanent? Isume didn't care. She had grown an attachment to the pleasant change. After all, her senses far surpassed those of humans now. The image of InuYasha passed through the girl's mind as she clambered down the rocks. A smile curved her soft lips, joy rising within her. Now she was more like the heroic hanyou. Another thought came unexpectedly into her mind: _'I wonder it he's told Kagome how he feels about her. They shouldn't fear the love they both feel.'_

"Isume," a young, whispery voice addressed. The wandering dreamer looked up and spotted a little girl of about ten years. Her white hair framed an expressionless face, and a couple of white flowers adorned her hair on either side. She was one of Naraku's servants–one of his incarnations. The young girl stood perfectly still, watching Isume through eyes that were too dark for such a pure appearance.

"Kanna?" Isume stared back at the child. "What are you doing here?" The woman leapt from the stone she currently stood on, praying that she possessed InuYasha's ability to take such a jump without breaking her legs. She landed softly on the bare earth in front of Kanna. Isume let out a mental sigh of relief as she found herself to be in one piece. She eyed the white apparition in front of her, guessing at the reason as to why she was there.

"Naraku doesn't trust me, does he? I should've known he'd send someone," exasperation thickened her voice. Kanna only released a brief expression of surprise. Isume grinned at her, knowing that Kanna had come for that one reason. _'Honestly, I've been with him for one day and already he's chipping away at my patience.'_

"Follow me," Kanna turned around and led Isume farther away from the peaceful temple. Isume kept her silver gaze on it for as long as she could until they rounded an outcropping of rock, and she was forced to look away. The woman turned her thoughts to the dark hanyou as she continued to follow the strange incarnation. _'Why do I even stay with him? He hasn't ordered me to do anything yet, but, from what I know of him, he will soon.' _She looked up at the stars that had begun to speckle the sky. _'I should have gone straight to Kagome. Why didn't I? I don't understand what's going on.'_

* * *

He heard them before they entered, his heightened hearing having picked up the almost-nonexistent footfalls of his incarnation and the heavier ones of his newest ally. He smirked into the darkness of his stone chamber when his freshest strategy played through his mind once more. He would send her–his Isume–to the traveling group. Naraku didn't even notice his slight slip in his thoughts. He had considered her as "his" when he hadn't even truly taken her as his mate. Isume had no idea what he thought of her, but she had gotten the feeling of his eyes on her when Kagura had led her away to change into her new clothes on the day of her arrival.

_'Naraku gives me the creeps_,_'_ Isume thought as she entered the dark chamber, peering through the shadows to catch a glimpse of the hanyou. Naraku chuckled, delighted with his superb ability to conceal himself in the darkness. His evil laughter subsided when Isume's hot gaze glared into his crimson eyes. He frowned at her skill at always being able to locate him, no matter how well he confused others with his echoing voice. _'All for the best__–__she is under my command now, as are her hidden powers.' _He grinned at the young woman who stood before him, taking in the colored tint of her ivory skin.

"I trust you had a pleasant visit to the temple?" he asked, motioning for his other incarnation, Kagura, to come to his side. The woman sneered at him, but did as she was bid. Isume only nodded in answer to his inquiry; she didn't want to give anything too important away. She had seen Kikyo arrive at the temple and bury what looked like a small bundle of hair into the sacred ground. Then the priestess had spoken with her, saying that she could sense something strange. _'Maybe she had felt Naraku, but, if that's the case, then why did she stare at me like that?'_ Isume had been pondering that question ever since the visit with the undead miko. She had eventually come to the conclusion that Kikyo thought that Isume was in contact with Naraku. It was indeed a good thing that the woman had sensed another presence that sparked her interest even more than Isume. _'InuYasha. It had to be InuYasha she wanted to meet.'_

"Isume," Naraku's voice broke through the woman's thoughts. "I want you to go to InuYasha and his friends. Once there, travel with them and befriend them." Something glinted in Naraku's eyes, startling Isume with its ferocity. She narrowed her own eyes at him, a question in her gaze. He smirked at the woman's stubbornness, approving of her silent defiance.

"I desire you to gather all their secrets, and then report back to me as soon as you have acquired sufficient information." Naraku's long, black hair shifted slightly as he stood up and proceeded toward the girl. Isume held her ground, but more out of surprise than courage.

"What do you need that you don't know already?" she asked him as he continued his approach.

"Many things: their weaknesses, their strengths, and their greatest desires and fears," he answered. Isume appeared only slightly less confused, but she decided that she would go to the group. _'I may be able to escape.'_ "Don't even think about running off, Isume." Naraku came right up to her and wrapped pale fingers around her slender wrist. The woman gasped in pain as black fire twined around her arm underneath his hold. Its poison burned into her skin, creating the image of a violet crescent moon. Naraku released his grip with a satisfied grin, watching the confusion flit across the girl's face.

"My poison will kill you instantly if you decide to disobey my orders. Or it could just paralyze you long enough for me to come and retrieve you to punish you personally." Naraku turned his back on her as the realization of his words impacted the girl. He was no fool. Naraku knew that Isume couldn't care less about her life, but she dreaded imprisonment. That was what would happen to her if she tried to flee from him. He had uncovered her greatest fear: clipped wings. Isume would become his prisoner, denied from any sense of freedom whatsoever if she rebelled against his wishes. The burn on her arm would be a constant reminder of that.

"Kagura, fly her to a spot near InuYasha," Naraku ordered. "Make sure that you are not seen." His crimson orbs burned into the woman's equally-red ones. Kagura unfolded her arms, slipping her hands out of the sleeves of her kimono.

"Yes, Naraku," her voice held spite in it, but Naraku appeared not to notice. That or he was too used to it and let it slide. His second incarnation walked over to the stunned Isume, taking firm hold of her arm. "Come on, girl!" she demanded, practically towing the girl out of the dank cave. Isume followed her; not that she had a choice with her arm being used as a leash. The girl tossed an ugly frown at Naraku, simmering in anger when he returned it with a smug smirk.

When they were out of earshot–even of Naraku–Kagura spoke up, "Don't turn on him, Isume. He'll do what he says. Trust me." Her voice faded into the night as she pulled out the white feather from her black bun. She whipped it in front of her and it transformed into a giant feather–large enough to seat both of the women. Isume regarded the other woman with a sympathetic grin.

"He's keeping you prisoner," she stated it as a fact, not as a question, but Kagura nodded anyway. "You're the wind, right? You should be free. I can try to help you, but . . ." Isume sighed and stared down at the ground far below them, thinking of how useless she was.

"Help me?" Kagura had turned to watch the girl next to her. Seeing that Isume was being honest nearly broke the wind demon's strict control over her emotions. She just couldn't believe that _anyone_ would even consider her in need of rescue. "Hmph. You'd do better to help yourself. You're in the same cage I'm in now. Naraku has your life in his hands as well." Kagura tilted her head slightly in annoyance, "You know, I consider you as a friend, more or less. Even though I hardly know the meaning of the word." She said the latter mostly to herself. "You've even gotten Kanna to show you some liking, but I wouldn't put too much trust in her: she's still most loyal to Naraku."

Isume smiled sadly at the thought of the little girl, thinking about how much she resembled a lonely child. She did have a certain attachment to the first incarnation of Naraku. She couldn't help but be drawn to the girl. Isume glanced back at Kagura, "Kagura, I swear on my soul that I will help you be freed from Naraku's control."

Kagura looked at her in surprise for a moment before returning her attention to locating InuYasha. She smiled to herself, careful not to reveal her pleasure to the quiet Isume. _'She actually wants to free me? And Kanna too, no doubt. I wonder if she knows how Naraku looks at her? Should I warn the girl of his desire for her, or is she safest this way: ignorant of it?' _Kagura sneaked a peek at the young woman beside her who had turned her face to the moon to bathe in its light. _'No. I won't tell her. She's happier this way. And if Naraku dares lay a hand on the girl . . . then he'll have me to answer to, even if he does hold my heart prisoner.'_

* * *

"Good luck, Isume." Kagura flew off back in the direction of the mountain. Isume waved a farewell, her heart fluttering in her chest as she thought of what the hell she was going to do now. What on earth could she do?! She couldn't tell Naraku their secrets! Even Kagura and Kanna would back her up on the fact that she was not evil. They knew she had a kind heart. She just had problems with her temper from time to time, that was all.

Isume let out an exhausted sigh. Man, this was going to be difficult! Not only would Naraku know if she ran off, but she was sure that he would be able to tell if she was lying or not. Nope, creating false information would simply not do. The only other options she had left to curb this particular problem were to either turn Naraku good (she had difficulty holding in laughter at that prospect), or kill Naraku for good. Isume frowned at the second alternative. Why did her heart jump into her throat at that possibility? Surely, the world would be far better off without that evil, wicked, annoying, arrogant, demon, er, half-demon in it? _'Still, I can't do it. I can't kill him.'_

Isume moved stealthily through the underbrush, seeking the warmth of the group's campfire. What was she to say when she arrived there? Hello, I'm from Kagome's time and I need help getting back home? No, that would definitely not work. For one, she didn't want to go back to her time. And for another reason, she didn't relish the idea of telling them that she was from the future. So she would have to settle for the damsel-in-distress plan.

"Heh. The monk will go after _that_ one. Everyone else may too, _if_ it's good enough." The idea began to take form in her mind, shifting and rearranging until she had sifted through every single detail. Actually, she was enjoying this intricate web-making. Even though she had yet to come up with a ploy to prevent Naraku from undermining InuYasha and the others.

At last, the soft light of a fire danced on the leaf-strewn ground before her feet. Isume halted, making sure she was downwind so that InuYasha's sensitive nose did not pick up her scent. _'Well, it's now or never.'_

Isume gingerly backed away from the companions' campsite, being careful not to tread upon any shriveled leaves or fallen twigs. She wandered back into an empty clearing that she had passed by moments ago. Silently praying that her ploy would work, Isume summoned a demon using a spell she had memorized from one of the temple's scrolls at Mt. Hakurei. After the incantation ended, the woman waited for the demon to arrive. She had discovered that this spell had been used to exorcise demons from a human body, so it was not intended to be used in this way. Still, Isume stood rooted to the spot, unwilling to give up. A rustling in the grass warned her to leap aside as a blurred claw flashed by. She landed on her feet yards away, balancing herself with an outstretched arm. She narrowed her silver eyes at the weasel youkai, drawing in a deep breath.

"HELP!" she screamed as loud as she could. The cry rang throughout the surrounding trees. The demon only snarled and struck at her again. This time his attack sliced open her left arm. Isume scurried away from the now-dripping silver claws, clutching her torn arm. _'So I definitely wasn't a fighter in the past_,_'_ she thought bitterly, _'one occupation down_._'_ But that still didn't mean she didn't know how to defend herself. Isume seized a branch from the ground as the blood-thirsty youkai leapt in for another attack. Swinging the heavy piece of wood with all her might, Isume released her hold and watched her thrown weapon hit its mark: her attacker's skull. There was a sickening crunch and the demon fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Wow! I've never seen such an attack!"

Isume whirled around, her frenzied mind thinking that another demon had arrived, only to find Kagome standing at the edge of the woods. The schoolgirl's friends had gathered around the miko and stared at Isume in amazement. Isume's sharp hearing suddenly picked up the gentle fluttering of hushed breathing. She barely managed to duck in time as the revived weasel youkai leapt for her exposed throat. She fell to the ground, left arm stinging when the long grass invaded the wound. Isume clenched her teeth against the pain searing through the wounded limb. She then felt two people kneel on either side of her, inspecting the damage. Isume hardly dared to breathe; only one thing running across her mind: Sango and Kagome were helping her! _InuYasha_ was real!

Isume watched as the one-and-only InuYasha whipped out his Tetsusaiga and sliced the oncoming weasel into two. She didn't have much time to stare with her mouth agape like a moron at the amazing backwash of the simple attack because Kagome sprayed her arm with a stinging medicine. Isume found herself biting her bottom lip in a combination of frustration and pain. _'Damn! That stuff_ really_ hurts!' _But she did not pull her arm away from source of the discomfort.

Letting her left arm be wound up in crisp bandages, she thanked them for their help graciously. "I didn't think I would make it. Thank you so much for your help." Her words were short but respectful, and they received the desired response.

"Oh, don't mention it!" Miroku answered, coming up in front of her kneeling form. "We're just fortunate that you were not killed, Lady–?"

"Isume."

"Lady Isume. Such a beautiful name! May I ask what you were doing so far from any villages and in the middle of the night no less?" Miroku's eyes were calm and appeared sincere, but Isume had never trusted anyone in her life so she wasn't about to start with a lecherous monk. She smiled sadly, putting her plan into action.

"I had begun a journey for . . . personal reasons and I ended up getting lost. I followed my instincts and ended up here. There's really nothing to tell except the foolishness of a runaway." Isume fluttered her right hand as if to say her troubles were of no importance.

"A runaway?" Kagome asked, staring at the strange girl. Sango, standing next to the schoolgirl, looked harder at Isume.

"Hmm . . ." the demon slayer voiced, eyes narrowed and troubled.

"What is it, Sango?" InuYasha asked her, joining the group after finishing off the weasel demon. His sword was back in its sheath, giving the impression of a regular katana instead of the magnificent fang it had been mere moments ago. He soon answered his own question when the wind changed direction and whisked the new girl's scent straight into his nose. His amber eyes widened and he pointed an accusing clawed finger at Isume. "You! You're a half-demon!"

Isume raised an eyebrow, watching InuYasha's amusing display. _'And to think I used to admire him_._'_ She stifled a laugh as the hanyou lifted his nose into the wind and sniffed at her smell. _'I guess he's not too bad. Hey! Maybe he can help me remember who I am! After all, we half-breeds must band together!' _Isume nodded her head in the affirmative as everyone else looked over at her in question.

InuYasha straightened his spine, watching Isume sadly through golden eyes. "So . . . you must have run away because you were being picked on?" His voice held such sympathy that Isume had a hard time nodding her head in answer to his question. In truth, she wasn't actually lying. Naraku had annoyed the hell out of her whenever he threw her those strange looks. And it had only been a day!

Isume felt somehow depressed suddenly so she lowered her gaze to the moonlit grass, the silver ends of her black hair covering her face as a particularly strong gust of wind blew at her from behind. Her moment of privacy was interrupted by a pair of hands taking her own. She looked up already knowing who it was and readied herself for the attack.

"My dear Lady Isume," began Miroku, squeezing her hands in his. "I am truly agonized to hear that such vile treatment has befallen you. However, that is all in the past. And I can see that you will have several children in the future." Miroku had acquired a perverted grin; Isume sweat-dropped. "In fact, if you ever need comforting at night, don't hesitate to crawl next to me in my futon. I'll always have room for you."

Kagome and Shippo both sighed in exasperation at their friend, InuYasha growled at the monk's audacity, and Sango glared at the lech with death in her chocolate-brown eyes. Miroku took no notice of his friends' attitudes whatsoever. He continued to hold both of Isume's hands in his grasp. Isume smirked at the monk, deciding to give him a good scare.

"But Sir Monk, surely you do not think that my father would take kindly to you?" she questioned, pulling her fingers from his grasp. What she said made the others in the group fall animé-style; they couldn't believe what they were hearing. "After all, even I wouldn't call Kagewaki-dono an easy-to-please lord." Miroku froze, along with Sango, InuYasha, and Kagome. Shippo, being the innocent kit that he is, couldn't understand what the big deal was.

"Hey, what's wrong, guys?" He waved a paw in front of Sango's face, snapping the girl out of her trance. The demon slayer shook her head in bewilderment.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised. After all, Lord Kagewaki was a gentle lord before Naraku killed him." Her friends nodded in agreement, but InuYasha was still glaring at Isume.

"Girl, exactly when did you run away from home?" InuYasha asked, ears perking up for her answer. Isume looked up at him, silver eyes big and innocent.

"Just yesterday."

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled. Isume had to slap her hands over her ears as their screams drilled into her head.

"You mean to say that you stayed with Naraku all this time?!" InuYasha took charge of the battle cries. Isume massaged her abused ears, struggling with her temper.

"Yes, although I had no idea that he was, in fact, Naraku." Isume could say no more, laughter threatened to engulf her as an amusing image of Naraku playing Daddy entered her mind. Along with this image came a much more sorrowful one of Lord Kagewaki's body, empty and forgotten. Isume put her right hand to her pounding head, feeling emotionally exhausted. Kagome noticed the weariness in Isume's movements and decided to stop this questioning before it drained the poor girl of any more energy.

"Come on, guys, look at her: she's exhausted," Kagome gave Isume a pat on the back as she got to her feet. "She must have gone through a lot to get away from Naraku. So why don't we just go to sleep?" InuYasha looked like he was about to object, but then changed his mind and stalked back to camp. Isume made her way to their campsite with the help of Sango and Kagome, both of whom kept their eyes on Miroku who followed close behind.

In a few minutes, Isume was on her own futon (having borrowed Sango's) and was in the midst of falling asleep when something caught her eye. Miroku was just in front of her, eyes closed in what Isume guessed to be a very light sleep. It was the gleam of the beads wrapped around his right wrist that attracted Isume's gaze. The blue color of the rosary seemed to dance with a fire of their own. Isume was about to open her mouth to say something when she noticed that the monk had his eyes open and focused on her.

"Yes? What is it, Lady Isume?" he asked politely, seeming much more like the monk that he should be.

Isume grew slightly red in the cheeks when she realized that she had been staring. "Well, I wanted to ask: where did you receive that rosary on your hand?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

Miroku grinned, "I received these beads from my grandfather. He, in turn, got them from a young traveler he met in his journeys. They're . . . special. And my family is fortunate that this traveler gave them to us." _'Or else none of us would have lived long.'_

"Who was the traveler?" Isume asked, raising herself slightly from her futon while curiosity spun inside of her.

Miroku sighed, "I do not know. He never said his name. The traveler only gave my grandfather the rosary and disappeared." The monk watched as Isume's head dropped back to the futon, but she was still fighting sleep. Miroku smiled at her kindly, "Now get to sleep. We don't want InuYasha to give us all headaches when he complains that we can't keep up with him due to sleep deprivation." Isume nodded tiredly and closed her eyes. In moments she was in a deep slumber. Miroku leaned back on his tree and fell into a much lighter sleep than his female comrade. The conversation of the ancient traveler soon left the monk's mind, flying away on the wind and disappearing much like the stranger had done that fateful day.


	4. FatherDaughter Relationships

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_._

_Crimson: Leave me alone! **slaps hands over ears and walks in circles**_

_Naraku: You're such a fool. I would never love anyone, much less a human!_

_Crimson: **stops in mid-circle** WHAT?! Just because I'm human! **clenches fists** You do realize that _I'm_ the author here, right?!_

_Naraku: **smirks** As if you could do anything to me. You don't own me._

_Crimson: Yeah, well I don't own a lot of things, but that doesn't stop me from beating the crap out of those who deserve it! **jumps on Naraku and claws him with magically-grown claws and fangs**_

_Naraku: O.o **lies on ground with scratched face and arms**_

_Crimson: **stands in front of him with a wolf tail sticking out behind her** You're lucky you're a youkai and can heal fast! **turns back to readers** I don't own any character that shows up on the _InuYasha _series! __But that doesn't stop me from kicking Naraku's butt when he's being a jerk! __Anyway, read on while I deal with this me__–_! **falls down as Naraku pulls on her tail** What do you think you are doing?!

_Naraku: You've got spunk._

_Crimson: O.o **Looks to reviewers** Help me . . . ._

_

* * *

  
_

**Chapter Four–**

**Father-Daughter Relationships**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Good morning, Isume. Are you feeling better?" Kagome's soft voice flowed into her ears followed soon after by a harsh growl.

"Come on, get moving!" Isume recognized that growl as belonging to InuYasha.

_Three, two, one . . ._

"InuYasha, sit!"

BAM!

Isume giggled at the familiar scene as she opened her sleep-encrusted eyes. The inuhanyou was "kissing" the ground in that familiar position she had witnessed a number of times. The sight of an outraged Kagome looming over a down-and-out InuYasha banished all remnants of lethargy. Sitting up, Isume stretched out her sore limbs. She winced as she strained the wound from the previous night. She lowered her left arm, fingering it tenderly. Frowning she realized that she did not possess the same quick healing powers as most other hanyou and youkai. Releasing a small defeated sigh, Isume decided to let the matter drop.

She turned to face the woods as she replaced the haori that she had used for a blanket the night before. Half the reason she did this was to keep her dignity from the lecherous monk; the other half was to keep an eye out for danger. She didn't like to have her back turned on any possible hiding places for anything dangerous to lurk. Therefore, Isume wasn't expecting a pounce from behind.

The hanyou girl twisted her body around quickly, feeling the small weight on her back. The creature moved to the top of her head while Isume raised her eyebrows at the scent flowing into her nostrils. Ah, it was him!

"Shippo! What do you think you're doing, eh?!" InuYasha yelled from the ground, having pulled his head free from the dirt. His golden orbs focused on the young kitsune presently perched on top of Isume's head.

"What?" Shippo asked innocently. "I'm only curious about her hair. How come it's black on top, but white at the ends?" He directed the last query at Isume, leaning over her bangs to stare questionably into her silver eyes.

_'Kawaii!'_ Isume thought with glee as she watched Shippo's head pop into view. "I think it's because I'm a half-demon. I don't know any other reason." Isume raised her arms up and got hold of him. Setting him down on the ground, she asked, "And who exactly are you?" Of course Isume knew all their names (and quite a bit more), but she had to play the part of a complete stranger, not an all-out fanatic of an animé that was in _her_ world.

"I'm Shippo, the amazing fox-demon," Shippo declared proudly, puffing out his chest. "And that one there in the dirt is my servant, InuYasha," he said in a much more subdued voice as if trying not to speak too loudly lest the inuhanyou hear him. It didn't exactly work.

"WHAT?! YOUR SERVANT?!" The white-haired boy yelled, leaping to his feet as soon as Kagome's spell wore off. "I'LL SHOW YOU SERVANT!" InuYasha began chasing the poor fox kit around the camp. Isume could only sit back on her heels, clutching at her sides as laughter threatened to spill past her lips. Kagome and Sango came over to her while Miroku watched the two running males in exasperation.

"I'm Kagome and this is Sango," the young miko introduced, pointing to herself first and then to the chocolate-haired woman wearing a kimono. "You've already been introduced to InuYasha and Shippo. And Miroku is–"

"The letch," Sango cut in with a grim expression on her face. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced at the monk with flames in her eyes.

_'Looks like she still hasn't forgiven him for yesterday,' _Isume thought with an uneasy smile. Kagome rubbed the back of her head nervously, smiling just as uneasily as Isume. A small mewling at the women's feet caught their attention. Isume's eyes lit up at the sight of the cute nekoyoukai.

"Oh! And this is Kirara," Kagome explained as she bent down to retrieve the small animal. Kirara purred in contentment as she curled up in the girl's arms.

Isume watched the interaction among all of her favorite characters with fascination. She smiled as she stood up from her futon, smoothing out the creases in her hakama and haori.

Soon after all of the formal introductions, the group broke camp and hit the road. InuYasha led the way, of course, although he did have enough sense to slow his pace to that of a human's walk. Isume's arm still bothered her, and she was growing ever more annoyed by its constant pain. She ignored it as best she could though. The group would talk every now and then about Naraku and his whereabouts, but they pretty much just walked along the dirt road in silence. Isume actually found the peace and quiet to be rather enjoyable. She even began to find it hard to believe how some of her fellow _InuYasha_ fans thought that the traveling part would either be extremely boring or too eventful. To her it was a nice mix of both. It was wonderful.

They journeyed the rest of the day, heading in the direction of the Western lands where they hoped to find a rumored jewel shard. Whenever she wasn't listening to the others' conversations, Isume would ponder on her problem with Naraku. How would she be able to protect the IY gang and yet keep her life as well? Or, in this case, keep her freedom? She rubbed her right arm which had the crescent moon emblazoned on the skin. That mark meant that Naraku could release the poisons embedded within at any time he wished. He could either kill her or paralyze her. Frankly, she didn't much like either prospect. She couldn't report back to him with false information–he would know if she spoke lies. And she couldn't run away and stay with InuYasha and the others because he would find her eventually. It took several minutes before she thought of another possibility. What is she was to inject another poison into her arm to counteract Naraku's? It would definitely be a huge gamble with her life, but it was the best option she had. Isume sweat-dropped as another problem cropped up in her head. The only youkai she knew who possessed such a powerful poison was SesshoMaru. There was no way he would _ever_ help _her_. First of all, he had no idea who she was. Secondly, it wasn't like he would play hero to a mere half-breed. And thirdly, it was doubtful he would help anyone out who was even remotely connected with Naraku. Isume mentally sighed, taking a break from all the thinking as the last rays of the sun touched her skin. InuYasha was leading them off the road and into the forest.

_'I wonder if he found a hot spring this time?' _Isume found herself thinking. She knew that InuYasha would almost always try to find a hot spring nearby whenever they camped for the night. _'For Kagome. Jeez, I can't believe that neither of them will admit that they like each other. Maybe I should play a trick on them later to get them to notice.'_

"Hey, InuYasha?" Kagome spoke up, quickening her pace until she walked level with the hanyou.

"Yeah, Kagome?"

The schoolgirl clapped her hands together nervously. "Is there, by any chance, a hot spring nearby?" Her brown eyes grew big as she looked at InuYasha in a pleading sort of way. The white-haired youth backed up a bit at the girl's puppy-dog eyes before answering.

"Y–yes. It's just beyond those trees, K–Kagome," his voice shook which caused Isume to start giggling. InuYasha took the distraction to his advantage. Rounding on the newest member to their group, the hanyou barked at her, "What are you laughing at?!" He did not receive the desired response. Isume only laughed harder, holding her hands over her mouth. While InuYasha continued to yell at the giggling girl, Isume winked at the baffled Kagome and Sango. The two women stood still for a moment before realization sank in. They smiled their thanks at Isume, sneaking off to the hot spring while both Miroku and InuYasha were kept busy with the female hanyou.

_'How much longer should I keep this up?'_ Isume wondered, her laughter subsiding. _'I guess I could just keep an eye on the monk.'_ She took a deep breath, her cheeks red from all the enjoyment. InuYasha had his clenched fist up in front of him, ready to threaten her with it when she suddenly stopped. He realized that her silver gaze did not focus on him but drifted off to his right. Turning around, he saw Miroku standing there with a shocked expression on his face. Before the hanyou could say anything, the monk spoke.

"Lady Isume, I take it that you caused a distraction so the ladies could sneak off to go bathe, am I correct?" Isume only nodded, giving him a small smile as she continued to keep her cool eyes on him. As soon as he heard this, InuYasha searched around the small clearing. Indeed, the girls had long gone. He returned his golden gaze to the girl.

"Hey! Why did you do that?" the hanyou's voice held agitation, but Isume detected a thin streak of curiosity as well. "It's not like we wouldn't let them bathe!"

Isume chuckled at his behavior, never moving her gaze away from the monk who had begun to fidget nervously. "I know. I had to give them _some_ privacy, at least." At this point Isume smirked at the monk who sweat-dropped. "Sango mentioned something about Miroku being a letch." InuYasha glared at the monk who was rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Both Isume and InuYasha took turns keeping an eye on the perverted monk as they set up camp. It was a far more successful plan than previous ones. Miroku never got a chance to sneak away to catch a glimpse of the girls since he now had two guards watching him nonstop. He sat at the base of a tree, grumbling about hotheaded hanyous and misunderstandings. Kagome and Sango arrived back in the clearing about an hour later, feeling clean and refreshed. They both urged Isume to go take a bath as well, but she declined with the excuse that she was too sleepy. Before InuYasha could get on her about her smell, Isume intercepted with the promise that she would take one in the morning before they left. Kagome cooked some ramen that they ate (InuYasha eating his with more speed and vigor than anyone else) for dinner. And soon everyone fell into a contented sleep. Nothing big, right? Wrong.

About an hour after everyone fell asleep, Isume squinted one eye open. She looked around cautiously, easing herself off the futon. Her silver gaze took in the still face of InuYasha who sat on the other side of the dying embers. She lowered her eyes to his chest which rose and fell deeply, indicating his state of deep sleep. She kept her breathing steady as she slid off her mattress, slinking away from the camp in the direction of the hot spring. A white, fluffy towel that she had found in Kagome's overstuffed yellow backpack slung over a shoulder. Isume softly ventured across the forest floor which was riddled with brittle twigs and leaves. Isume was not one to stand sleeping when she was covered in dust from the road. She had to take a bath. She had not wanted to take one earlier because she didn't trust Miroku one bit. Knowing him and InuYasha's temper, Miroku would start something with the hanyou and slink off after Kagome sat the inuhanyou or began yelling at him. He had always managed to escape in the animé and manga, so Isume had been reluctant to undress when he had been so near.

Slipping out of her clothes, Isume discarded them on a nearby flat rock. She slid into the warm water, leaving all her troubles back on dry land as she enjoyed the hot bath. She quickly submerged her bare body beneath the steaming surface before surfacing to look around warily. Unease settled in her stomach at bathing outdoors. She hoped that someday she would be able to enjoy this more. Maybe if she had bathed with Kagome and Sango earlier . . . . No way. She didn't want to bare her body to anyone, girl or not.

Sensing no presence in the immediate area, Isume let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes. She soaked like that for about twenty minutes before a rustling in the trees caught her attention.

Isume snapped up in an instant, forgetting that she wore not a stitch of clothing. Her silver eyes darted to the trees on the opposite side of the springs. Her right hand dug sharp fingernails into the side of the rock pool. She stared at the swaying treetops until an overlarge bee buzzed out of it. Isume growled low in her throat, recognizing the insect as one of Naraku's Saimyosho. Her upper body remained exposed, but Isume had yet to realize this. Instinct had overtaken modesty which was why she ended up digging her nails into the arm that suddenly wrapped around her neck rather than cover her bare breasts.

Twisting her head around, Isume caught the familiar sight of crimson eyes and black, curling hair. She heard the dark chuckle escape Naraku's mouth as he pulled her out of the water. She fought in vain against his strength, but the warm cloth of his haori lessened her motives for getting away from him. Isume decided to pull her legs into her body so as to hide as much as possible from the dark lord's eyes. Naraku, thankfully, did not remove his arm so the width of his sleeve covered most of her small body.

"What are you planning, Isume?" his deep voice made her shiver which, unfortunately for the girl, had Naraku pulling her even closer to his body and wrapping his other arm around her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Isume spit out, fighting against her desire to drop back into his strong chest. Before all this had started, she had had an infatuation with Naraku. Now that this crush actually had a place to go, Isume couldn't make herself act inferior to him. _'Just my luck!'_ she thought heatedly. _'He comes _now_ of all times. Why does he always show up when I'm naked?!'_

Naraku's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Why did you imply that I am your father? Is that how you see me?" He had a hint of mirth to his tone which caused Isume to involuntarily jump.

_'What the hell?! Naraku is acting a little ooc and it's freaking me out! Looks like Takahashi-sama didn't include everything in her stories.'_ Isume released his arm from her claw-like hold. She folded her arms across her thankfully-hidden chest in contemplation. Naraku wore a disconcerted expression on his face. He was a little taken aback by this show of childishness. He tried to remove his arms only to find that Isume had the sleeves of his haori clenched tightly in her fists. He bit back a sigh as he sat down cross-legged, dragging Isume onto his lap. Her body stiffened at his action, and she threw him a poisonous glare over her shoulder. Naraku smirked at her discomfort.

"You can either stay in my lap or release my haori to retrieve your clothes." He watched as uncertainty flew into Isume's silver eyes. "It's nothing I haven't seen before," he remarked coolly, gaining pleasure from the uneasiness of the woman. Used to the women of his world, Naraku did not expect the harsh reaction to his words.

Isume glared daggers at him, baring her gleaming fangs. "Baka! You don't honestly think that every woman is the same?!" anger and impatience flowed through her words. "Everyone is different! And I, for one, will _not_ lower myself to appear bare in front of the like of _you_!" Red had begun to tint her silver irises, mildly surprising Naraku.

Being the malevolent demon that he is, however, Naraku merely frowned at the fuming hanyou. He decided to take action as he noticed how the scarlet of her eyes continued to overtake the silver. With the position that she had put herself in (Isume had turned around in his lap, facing him head-on) and the current heat in his blood, Naraku smirked before crashing his lips down on hers.

A noise of surprise escaped Isume, disappearing on the night air as soon as it left her mouth. Isume would have fallen back if the dark hanyou hadn't taken hold of her arms. With him in control of her body, Naraku pulled the girl closer to him. His heat burned in his blood and urged him to take more. Isume protested against this, digging her claws into his arms and breaking the skin. Naraku was begging for entry into her mouth which she stubbornly kept from him behind clenched teeth. He chuckled as he nipped her lower lip with his own fangs, sending shivers up her spine and causing her to loosen her jaws. Naraku took advantage of the slip in her defenses and invaded her mouth with his tongue. Tasting every crevice, Naraku relished in the foreign tastes he found there. _'She's right. She _is_ different from the others I have known.' _He continued to taste her, forgetting the reason why he had started this in the first place.

Isume fought Naraku's demanding tongue, finding it difficult to battle his lust. _'He's evil! For crying out loud, girl, get a grip on yourself! Don't let him subdue you! Damn him!' _Even with Isume's self-berating, she couldn't get her body to move according to her mind. It craved for this, wanting the hanyou to continue. Isume, however, had different ideas.

Her mind screamed a warning when the lustful man ran a hand up her stomach. Finding the strength to snap out of it at this, Isume bit down on Naraku's invading tongue just hard enough to make him pull back. She really didn't want him mad enough to kill her. Isume glared at him once more, breathing heavily. Naraku smirked at her, acting as if nothing had happened. _'Damn him! His breathing is completely normal!' _Isume let out one last heavy breath before reverting it to normal again. She huffed at him, manually turning his head away from her to look into the forest.

"Don't look," she ordered, using the same expressionless voice that SesshoMaru always used. She hoped that would be enough to get him to stay still for a while. Isume quickly crawled out of his lap, using her newfound hanyou speed to sweep up her clothes and hide behind an outcropping of rock. She dressed in record time–a new thing for her. Walking back, Isume found herself praying that Naraku had left. Of course, as usual, her prayers fell to pieces at her feet. There sat Naraku where she had left him. He was watching her with his crimson eyes, never removing his gaze. _'I didn't think he would listen to me, but I sure hope he didn't see me.' _Reluctantly, Isume headed for him.

"Why are you here, Naraku?" she asked. Now it was her turn to examine him. With her clothes on, Isume felt much more at ease.

Naraku stood up in one fluid motion, "I am here to check on your progress." He watched her, crimson orbs boring into her silver eyes as it waiting for something. Isume, tired from these last two eventful days, decided not to answer him with an angry attitude.

"I have only been with them for one day," she said in weariness. "It will take several for them to trust me enough to inform me of what you want to know. The deepest and darkest of secrets take the longest to divulge, Naraku." _'You should know. After all, you were born of Onigumo the bandit, and you hold desires for Kikyo.' _Something in Isume grew bitter at the thought of the undead miko, but she dismissed it.

Naraku appeared unmoved by this, but inside he was slightly impressed at the girl's words. _'She's young but seems to understand more than what she lets others know.' _Out loud he said, "Very well, I will grant you three weeks. I trust you will find something by then." Naraku did not notice the startled expression on Isume's face as he took his leave. Before Isume could take a single step, Naraku had disappeared into the shadows.

_'But by then the new moon would have passed and InuYasha . . . .'_ "Damn," Isume breathed, trying to sort out her thoughts. She was heading toward camp when she realized that she stank of Naraku. "Damn . . ." Isume returned to the spring, discarding her clothing once more and slipping into the hot water. She scrubbed quickly and harshly at her body. By the time she was done, her skin had a raw appearance to it, but Isume didn't care. At least Naraku's scent didn't cling to her anymore. Replacing her clothes with as great a speed as she could muster in her sleepy state, Isume thanked the gods that Naraku had not marked her. If he had, then there was no way she would have been able to get rid of his stench. Plodding back to camp in the darkness, Isume failed to catch the faint scents of four travelers not far from where she was. Sleep invaded her mind, stopping her after about ten steps. Isume fell to the forest floor, utterly exhausted and chilled (in all the excitement, she had foolishly forgotten about the towel so she was also soaking wet). And, unfortunately, her hanyou senses had dimmed greatly due to this so she had actually gone in the complete opposite direction than the camp lay in.

Shaking in the cool night air, Isume lay unconscious on the forest floor as it began to rain.


	5. Breaking the Barriers

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_. I do own Isume, however so no taking her._

_Crimson: **holding lamp** So this is chapter five. Naraku will not be making his appearance for awhile (seeing as how I beat him within an inch of his life)._

_Kagura: Good. Now just finish him and I can be free._

_Crimson: Why would I do that?_

_Kagura: O.o You're kidding, right?_

_Crimson: No. He's too awesome to kill off._

_Kagura: **sweatdrops**_

_Crimson: Read on!_

* * *

**Chapter Five–**

**Breaking the Barriers**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Darkness pressed against her eyes as soon as Isume opened them. It took a moment for her to comprehend that she had her eyes open and that it was nighttime. During that moment, her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Used to human sight for all her life, it didn't occur to Isume to wonder about how long it took her to get used to the dark room. As it was, she merely sat up in the bed she lay in, looking around in a daze.

"So, you are finally awake," a male's voice–cold and regal–spoke from the shadows.

Isume's quick silver eyes found the speaker immediately, catching the glimpse of glowing gold eyes in a corner of the room. She saw the outline of a very stately-looking figure standing there. The man stepped into the moonlight, revealing nothing on his emotionless face when Isume accidentally let a surprised gasp slip past her lips.

She certainly hadn't expected _that_! The man (correction: _demon_) looking indifferently down at her was very, very good-looking.

_Ah, but don't you like _Naraku_?_ a voice in the back of her head whispered annoyingly at her. Isume stopped herself from frowning just in the nick of time. She concentrated, instead, on the youkai before her.

His eyes were a deep amber, shining like gold. _'Well, they _would_ shine if they didn't look so _cold_,' _she thought silently, filing away that piece of information. The male obviously was nothing like InuYasha. She felt an inkling in the back of her mind telling her that he was related somehow to the inuhanyou. Unfortunately, the stupid voice in her head telling her about Naraku didn't shut up as it relayed this information to her. Ugh. Stupid match-making voices. She was sure that they only existed to hook people up. After all, she never had heard it before . . . .

Bringing herself back to the present, Isume watched in wonderment as the blue light of the moon fell in beautiful patterns over the man's long white hair. The moonlight made him look even more beautiful if that was possible. Gods, she didn't know what she'd do if she saw him in during the day! Probably jump the poor guy . . . .

_Ahem. Naraku . . . . Pervert . . . ._

Isume growled mentally at the person in her head, ignoring it. Her silver eyes passed over a certain violet marking on the male's head and she gave a startled yelp. She fell backwards off the bed in surprise (which was quite a feat considering how _big_ the bed was in the first place), suddenly recalling what she had forgotten.

_'Holy hell! Holy hell! Holy HELL!' _she thought frantically, clawing her way out of the covers that had tangled around her when she had jumped off the mattress. _'How in the seven hells could I forget SESSHOMARU?!' _Her cheeks grew hot and she knew was blushing madly. Yeah, yeah. You could call her fickle or whatever you'd like, but she also had had a crush on SesshoMaru as well as Naraku. But could you blame her?! He was so damn . . . well, let's just say "tasty". She was sure "beautiful" or "gorgeous" would be insulting for a male to hear.

"Who are you, demoness?" SesshoMaru asked coolly, as if his guest hadn't just shrieked and fallen flat on her bottom. His golden eyes watched Isume slowly stand up (albeit unsteadily) on the other side of the bed. He was clearly waiting for an answer.

"Um . . ." Isume didn't know whether or not she should give her real name to him. Then it hit her. Her head perked up a little, eyes widening. _'Did he just call me 'demoness'?' _she thought in wonderment. _'Hm. I could use that._' She kept the smirk from her face and her voice when she answered him. "My name's Isume. I'm a moon demon. I was just wandering from village to village, looking for something to do." She'd better stick with her real name. Hell, everyone else knew it; he might as well know it, too. Besides, the fewer lies she told around him. the better. The "moon demon" part wasn't a _complete _lie. It's not like she really _knew_ what she was. She was moon-_something_. That much was obvious. He didn't have to know that she was hanyou. And she was kinda/sorta wandering around. Although _that_ was probably stretching it . . . .

"Moon demon?" SesshoMaru said aloud, mulling over the word thoughtfully. Or, at least, Isume _thought_ he was mulling over the word. She really couldn't tell through that emotionless mask of his.

"Very well," he finally said, the tone holding some sort of finality. Isume tilted her head curiously at him, wondering what he had just decided. "You will stay here for a while and look after Rin. After all, it is because of her that you are here." SesshoMaru watched the girl expectantly.

Isume only looked bemused for a second before nodding her head in acceptance. "Oh. So paying you back for saving me? Is that what this is?" She didn't even know what exactly he had saved her from. All she could remember was the most-embarrassing bath she had ever had, then feeling very cold and hot at the same time, and then darkness. After all that, she woke up here, in what Isume prayed wasn't the Lord of the Western Land's bed. That would just be waaaaay too much for her to handle at the moment.

"You said you were bored." SesshoMaru stated matter-of-factly. It wasn't a question, but Isume nodded at it anyway then grinned.

"Ah! Yes, m'Lord!" she said with a hint of gratefulness in her tone, already working out some plans in her head. She cringed inwardly as the voice in her head laughingly told her how much Naraku had already affected her. _'Tch. As if,'_ she thought to the voice. _'I'm doing this to _protect_ everyone! Not _killing_!' _

_Even protect Naraku?_

_'Ye–No!' _she thought immediately, scandalized that she almost said yes to such a question. Why the hell would she want to protect an evil, twisted, bastard like Naraku?! Although, he had a really good face . . . and chest, arms, legs . . . . _'Agh!'_ Isume had to force herself not to hit her forehead (or strangle herself) in front of the proud inuyoukai still standing in front of her.

"I'll send Rin to you in the morning," SesshoMaru told her as he glided from the room. He didn't even bother to tell her _why _she had been brought there in the first place. Or even how . . . .

_'Probably because Rin had cried for him to do so. That's the 'why' part, at least,' _she thought silently to herself, knowing that the taiyoukai could very well be listening. Isume was well aware of how protective the inuyoukai was of his ward, even if he'd never admit it. Which meant that she'd have to be careful not to reveal who she was secretly working for. Well, maybe "working" was the wrong word. More like "enslaved by". Yep. She was definitely Naraku's slave. Unbidden images entered her head at that and Isume couldn't help but groan aloud at her perverted mind. _'I don't remember being this perverted _before_ I met Naraku!'_ she screamed into the recesses of her mind, hearing the voice back there snickering at her frustration. _'Oh, shut up!' _she growled at it, falling back to the covers and closing her eyes.

She rested her right arm over her eyes, trying in vain to get some sleep before she had to face a no-doubt-hyper child in the morning. It wasn't until an irritating itch begun to raise the hairs on her arm that she sat up quickly in the bed. Her silver glare focused on the branded skin of her right underarm. The pale skin had a faint, purple glow to it, emanating from the crescent moon emblazoned there. She resisted the urge to growl, knowing that it was probably what Naraku wanted. Isume doubted that Naraku knew where she was at. SesshoMaru must have had his castle protected by magic or something to ward off such all-seeing objects like Kanna's mirror. Add in the fact that the mark on her arm didn't hurt at all nor did it seem like it was releasing poison into her system to restrict her movements so he could come and fetch her, and that just meant one thing: the bastard was playing with her!

_'I'm going to kill him!'_ she seethed quietly to herself, barely able to contain her rage at being toyed with. Oh, was she mad! She'd definitely get him back for this! The feeling in her arm grew, expanding to her chest, stomach, and finally lips. Isume tensed her muscles tightly. She bit her lower lip in concentration, trying her best not to moan aloud. The feeling of kisses and massages touched every body part that was affected by the strange warmth. She had to bite back a gasp when what felt like teeth pulled at her lower lip. Her demon nose picked up the subtle scent of her own arousal and grew disgusted at it yet, at the same time, drunk by it. In a distant part of her mind, she prayed that SesshoMaru-sama hadn't picked up the smell.

She finally let her muscles relax when the sensation left her body along with the glow. The mattress beneath her bounced when she let herself crash back into it, grateful for the sudden reprieve from Naraku's spiritual ministrations. How the hell he had managed that was beyond her, but she almost wished he hadn't stopped. Ugh. Not again . . . . Isume turned over, digging her face into the silky, white pillow. It took a while but she finally fell asleep. Thankfully, it was a dreamless sleep so she wouldn't have to repeat the most-recent experience in her mind again and again. The one thought that crossed her mind before she fell totally into the dark abyss of slumber was this: _'I am _so _going to make him pay for that . . . .'_

* * *

The next morning had Isume all over the place (Almost literally, after she walked in on SesshoMaru in the bath). Strange, she didn't seem to find the inyoukai as attractive as last night. The incident with the crescent moon mark on her arm had occupied her thoughts all morning. Which was pretty bad when you were supposed to be entertaining an 8-10-year-old girl . . . .

Anyway, besides the bathing incident with SesshoMaru-sama (He, thankfully, hadn't seemed to care since he thought she was a full-blood demon. The fact that she was hiding behind Rin at that moment probably helped her escape with her life, too . . . .), she actually enjoyed herself. After the first few moments with Rin–who had come skipping into Isume's room and had jumped right on top of her–Isume immediately fell in love with the little girl. Rin proved quite mature for her age, and that surprised Isume. Even with her memories of her past gone from her mind, Isume did not think that she had ever met a child who was so . . . _reasonable_. That may be the wrong word to use, but it was the best way she could describe the girl as. Rin didn't press her luck. She didn't whine or complain one bit. She sure talked a lot, but Isume found that pretty endearing, especially so when Isume discovered how little she, herself, actually spoke. Rin seemed to prefer the outdoors rather than staying inside the castle all day. The first thing the little girl did after waking Isume up was grab her hand and race out into the gardens. Isume had been unable to stifle the gasp of awe at seeing the expansive fields full of exquisite flowers. They had only been able to gather flowers for about an hour or so before the Lord had come out to retrieve them for breakfast.

"So, Rin-chan," Isume addressed affectionately, glad to have gotten the chance to meet the girl, "what do you want to do after this?" She bit into a piece of bread that had been served with lunch. Isume still found it hard to believe that the morning had already come and gone. Happiness filled her at how much time she had already spent with the cute, little girl. It felt like having a little sister. It was nice.

Isume stopped mid-bite at the thought of having a sibling. _'Hm. Feels like dèjá vu . . . .' _she thought to herself, wondering if she'd had a little sister before falling into the well. Rin's answer pulled herself out of her musings. She perked up in her seat, continuing to much on her bread while not touching the other food. The need to eat didn't seem to be present today . . . .

"SesshoMaru-sama said we're going traveling again," Rin proclaimed cheerily, a big grin plastered on her face. "We usually don't stay long at the castle."

She said that with such joy that Isume had to smile. _'It appears that the kid doesn't like staying in one place for too long,' _she wondered to herself. _'That or she just really loves the outdoors a lot.'_ Which she couldn't blame the girl for. Hell, Isume herself didn't much care for staying cooped up indoors all day. Traveling may be a bit rough but she still enjoyed it. At least she was _moving_.

"We will be leaving after you finish eating," SesshoMaru said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Isume didn't even flinch which earned her a curious glance from SesshoMaru. His golden eyes then moved down to the dish set out in front of her; they narrowed. "Do you not eat?" His gaze flicked back to Isume's silver eyes. She fidgeted in her seat but held his gaze confidently. He almost smirked at her boldness. Almost.

"I feel no need to eat at the moment," she said meekly, stomach silently roiling at the thought of anything other than bread. The look the taiyoukai suddenly gave her filled her with dread.

"You must keep up your strength," he said logically, deadpan expression effectively concealing his emotions. "You were unconscious for three days. Even youkai need to eat eventually." He stared at her, knowing she would submit to his will. Boy, did she throw him for a loop when she broke the eye contact only to shake her head in apparent amusement. His moment of surprise soon slipped into a cold glare at her impertinence.

"I do apologize, SesshoMaru-sama," Isume said with what sounded to be sincerity, "but I feel that if I eat it wouldn't stay down very long. And that would just put me in worse condition and become a burden to you and everyone else." A shy smile lit up her features as Isume looked back up at him, silver eyes twinkling. She knew she had won when the great taiyoukai turned away from them and left the room. If he didn't have that cold mask holding reign over his emotions, she was sure that he would have sighed in exasperation, too. She resisted the urge to chuckle.

"Isume-san?" Rin asked in a quiet voice, not fully understanding what had transpired. "Why did you not eat your food, like SesshoMaru-sama wanted?" Her confused brown eyes stared up at her new friend in confusion. She truly could not comprehend why their guest didn't want to eat.

"Oh, Rin," Isume started with her explanation, knowing that the little girl would be troubled with her lack of appetite. "I'm a demon so the amount of food I need varies. I don't eat as much as humans do. That's all." _'And I don't eat enough, period. But she doesn't need to know that and neither does SesshoMaru-sama.'_ "I'll be fine," she assured the girl, seeing the glint of concern in her dark-brown eyes. _'She's too cute. Wish I had a daughter like her.'_ That thought going through her mind sparked a certain annoying voice in the back of it.

_Naraku can give you a child, _the voice sang to her. Isume felt like throttling the damn thing if it had a body she could touch. _If that thing had continued last night, you'd probably be with child already, _it teased her, getting her cheeks to flame up suddenly. She made sure that the bitter-sweet smell of arousal stayed out of her scent. SesshoMaru fortunately hadn't smelled it this morning, but she was sure he would if she had another "episode".

_'Oh, gods!' _she thought suddenly. _'What if Naraku does that again and I'm out with SesshoMaru and the others?' _She almost groaned aloud but remembered where she was and who she was with beforehand.

"Um, Isume-san," Rin repeated her name, tugging at the sleeve of Isume's brand-new haori (she'd have to get a wardrobe for all the new clothes she seemed to keep getting). "We should be heading out to the front gates now," Rin informed her, noticing that she had finally gotten the older girl's attention.

"Oh! Alright." Isume started off in the direction of the huge double doors that opened up to the front of the castle. Rin had shown her them earlier that day (Isume had asked soon after the bathing incident just in case she needed a quick escape). The young woman stopped in her tracks when she noticed Rin wasn't with her. "Rin? What are you doing?"

"Um . . . I was just wondering," Rin spluttered nervously, looking down at her wringing hands. Isume waited patiently for the girl to say whatever she needed to say. She was in no hurry, after all. SesshoMaru might kill her though . . . . "Will you . . . Will you always be here? With SesshoMaru-sama, Jaken-sama, and me, I mean?" The little girl looked up to Isume pleadingly with her big, brown eyes.

"Er?" Isume had to bite her tongue before immediately answering with a "yes" to that puppy-dog look. She sighed once before kneeling down in front of the black-haired little girl. A slim, pale hand placed itself on the girl's colorful kimono, clutching her shoulder reassuringly. "I'll stay with you as long as I can, Rin-chan," she answered truthfully. Seeing the sadness in the girl's usually-bright eyes, she quickly added, "But I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Just call my name whenever you need me and I'll be by your side in a heartbeat." She prayed that she could make that promise come true. Naraku had told her once that there was a high possibility that she had the ability to connect with someone mind-to-mind and that she could teleport. She then prayed that he actually spoke the truth for once . . . .

"Really?" Rin asked in awe, eyes sparkling gleefully. Isume laughed at the childish expression and nodded her head in the affirmative. Rin smiled and giggled when Isume told her to not try that too soon just yet, she might need to build up her leg muscles first. "Alright! I promise to wait!" the little girl swore, right hand over her heart to symbolize her seriousness in the matter despite the grin she wore.

"Good," Isume stated with a grin of her own. It wasn't long before she caught the scent of the taiyoukai entering the entrance hall at the front of the castle. Speaking of, they were supposed to be at the front gates by now, weren't they? "Uh oh, better get to the front gates before we're left behind." She swept Rin up in her arms before the girl knew what was going on and dashed towards the entrance with her demon speed. Her smile widened at the obvious squeals of delight the little girl exhibited as they quickly made their way down the elegant halls of the castle. She skidded to a halt in front of a calm and collected taiyoukai waiting at the entrance of the castle. Her breath hitched in her throat as the noonday sun shone on him, making a sort of silver halo around his head from the light reflecting off his hair. She faintly felt Rin slide out of her arms which woke her up from her daydreaming.

"Let's go," he ordered, walking out the doors and leading the way to the iron-wrought gates. He passed by several of his demon servants who bowed low to him. Isume had to admit that she was surprised when she noticed them bowing not only to Rin and Jaken, but to _her_ as well.

_'Hm. Guess that means I hold an honorable title. Although I find it ironic that playing baby-sitter to a kid would earn me any respect.'_ But, then again, this kid was the ward of a powerful youkai and these demons' lord, no less. It made sense that for anyone to be in charge of the possible heir to the throne of the Western Lands be highly honored and respected. Isume mentally shrugged and resigned herself to giving a curt nod in return. She noticed how some of the younger males (around her age) blushed and averted their gaze. Her brow rose curiously at that and she stowed away that little piece of information, careful to memorize the faces of the men who had looked embarrassed at her notice of them. They could prove useful later.

_'Holy crap,' _she thought. _'I'm turning into Naraku.'_ Her mind immediately turned to the dark hanyou as she followed SesshoMaru-sama, Jaken, Rin-chan, and Aun out the gates. _'Well, at least I discovered one thing: SesshoMaru-sama may look damn good, but I'm more attracted to Naraku for some reason.'_

_That's my girl,_ the voice in her head said approvingly. Isume ignored it, but a smile made its way to her lips . . . .


	6. SlipUp

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_._

_Kagura: KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!_

_Crimson: SHUT UP!_

_Kagura: I want my freedom, you little brat!_

_Crimson: Don't call me "LITTLE"! **knocks Kagura in the head with lamp**_

_Kagura: XD_

_Naraku: Good. Now finish _her_ off._

_Crimson: -_-;; Not you too. . . . Btw, I have a new rule: I will update within two days of a review! So review! And I hope this was a good chapter…Sorry for the long wait -_-;;_

_Kanna: Read on. . . ._

_(A/N: btw, Isume has only read up to the volume where Kikyo is headed toward Mount Hakurei with the lock of hair from the old criminal. This is why she doesn't know about the Band of Seven or Hakudoushi, etc. Oops, I sorta gave away who was going to appear in this chapter ^.^;; Oh well. . . .)._

* * *

**Chapter Six–**

**Slip-up**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The mountain loomed over the valley, regal and mysterious in all its glory. It was still a long way off, even though it looked so very close. Isume sighed, closing her silver eyes against the euphoria building within her. Every time she caught sight of Mt. Hakurei, this feeling would begin to overwhelm her. It was no different now. Isume still couldn't believe that she was heading back to the peaceful mountain . . . and back to Naraku . . . .

Sunlight bounced off the white boa SesshoMaru wore about his shoulders, blinding her momentarily as she watched his back. Briefly, Isume wondered if the fluffy was actually an article of clothing or his tail (which is what Rin believed). Shaking her head lightly, she dismissed such trivial thoughts and went back to more-pressing issues.

_'What am I going to do?' _she mused silently. She could almost feel the black cloud of depression hovering over her head. _'Surely, Naraku knows by now that I am no longer with InuYasha and his group. How am I supposed to get _back_ with them? And how in the seven hells do I get away from _SesshoMaru_?' _Glaring at said taiyoukai's back, Isume felt her face heat up with frustration. This was all Naraku's fault! If he hadn't gotten her so confused at the hot springs, then she would be enjoying the company of Kagome, Sango, and the others. Even Miroku's lecherous approaches would be preferable over the demon lord's icy demeanor. Jaken was a noisy little toad who made offensive comments about her every five minutes; and Ah-Un, while taking a liking to the new girl, couldn't speak. The only one there whom Isume could find enjoyment in was the little girl, Rin. The raven haired child (whom Isume swore looked like a miniature replica of Kagome) found interesting things to talk about with her. Stories of Jaken's past plunders, SesshoMaru's heroic deeds, and even one time where Jaken had been fatally-poisoned by one of Naraku's Saimyosho. Isume couldn't hold back the gasp of horror when she heard Rin tell her of how she had fallen off a cliff while retrieving the small plant that was the antidote. And, although it hadn't been entirely his fault that the little girl had nearly forfeited her life for his, Isume turned to glare heatedly at the imp who had quieted down to hear the story. Jaken squeaked at the deadly aura the woman now held and, without thinking, scurried behind his master's white pant leg.

_'She has that same look in her eyes that SesshoMaru has when I make him angry,'_ the toad demon thought to himself, still clutching the taiyoukai's motionless limb.

"Jaken!" SesshoMaru's sharp voice broke the staring contest between the toad-demon and the "moon demoness". Jaken froze, just then realizing where he was. Scurrying out from his hiding place at his master's legs, the imp bowed repeatedly in apology. He did this for several long minutes before Isume broke in, her tone amused.

"Might want to get up there, J-chan," she sang, using her new nickname for him. She stuck out her tongue at him when he glared at her while pointing to the retreating back of his lord who was already well-down the path.

"Milord! Wait for me!" the toad-demon squawked suddenly, darting off to catch up with the apparently-deaf taiyoukai.

Isume simply rolled her eyes and followed at a much-more sedate pace. As long as she kept within his line of sight, SesshoMaru didn't mind just how far back she lingered. He'd have an earful of Rin for the entire week if he didn't otherwise. Instead of hurrying off after the taiyoukai much like Jaken had done, she decided to take in her surroundings.

Japan really was a gorgeous country, especially back in _this_ time. Flowers of every color under the sun plus some grew all around, crowding the hillsides. Elegant sakura trees grew here and there, marking the land with brightly-colored displays of cherry blossoms. Several of the pale-pink petals drifted lazily in the wind as the trees slowly began to shed their springtime robe. The scent of the flowers danced in the air, clouding her nostrils with a sweet perfume which no man could ever hope to replicate.

Unfortunately, she didn't have too long to enjoy it. In what seemed like no time at all, the odd little group had made it to the base of the mountain. SesshoMaru appeared to be deep in thought so Isume kept a watchful eye on Rin, ignoring the incessant blabbering of the toad-demon as he complained about the aura around this area. In fact, she didn't even realize it was actually bothering the demons until Ah-Un butted her shoulder with his head. Turning around, the young woman ran a slender hand down his muzzle to comfort him, silver eyes narrowed with concern.

"L-Lord SesshoMaru!" Jaken's high-pitched, nasal cry cut through the serene air, drawing Isume's attention over in the dog-demon's direction…only she didn't see him anywhere…

"Where did SesshoMaru go?" Isume questioned the little imp when she walked over to him. Seeing his dejected expression and the slump of his shoulders, she opted for not teasing him with bad nicknames this time around. A second later, however, she kind of wished she had…

"That's _Lord_ SesshoMaru to you!" Jaken exclaimed, but Isume just rolled her eyes at the correction. The toad demon snorted at her lack of manners before explaining as if he'd been given a special privilege. SesshoMaru had probably ordered him to tell the girls where he was headed; otherwise, Isume doubted the little toad would be so willing to give away _any _information… "Lord SesshoMaru decided to search further ahead in hopes of finding Naraku," he nodded his head as if he knew something she didn't.

Isume cocked her head, curious about that last tidbit. Search for Naraku? SesshoMaru was an amazing youkai, that was for sure, but could he really smell Naraku in this pure air? Granted, Naraku must reek like no other demon, but still…

With a start, Isume realized something of extreme importance. She glanced around her, but the person she was searching for did not appear in the immediate vicinity. "Jaken," she started nervously, which caught the imp's immediate attention. "Where is Rin?"

A few seconds passed before the toad-demon went psycho.

Apparently, SesshoMaru had also made him the baby-sitter…

Before she could stop him, Jaken had run off with Ah-Un in tow. Isume shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes, but did not follow. The mountain's presence was beginning to overwhelm her, but not in the way that it had begun to overwhelm the demons. To her, it was like the holiness was calling her, urging her closer and closer until she was completely enveloped by it's purity. Like a moth to a flame, the young hanyou took a few steps nearer to the base of Mount Hakurei. The sensation of being pulled grew stronger, and the image of the temple she had visited days earlier vividly ingrained itself into her mind's eye.

"Why?" she breathed as if the air itself could answer her plea. Instead of a response, she got nothing but a warm breeze caressing her cheek. Biting the inside of her cheek, Isume glanced back at the spot where she had last seen Jaken and the others. This was the perfect opportunity to escape, but…this was _SesshoMaru_ she was talking about here! If the lesser demons made it this far into Mount Hakurei and withstand this pure air well enough to only feel slightly sick, then a great youkai like SesshoMaru could go _much_ deeper into the barrier… Perhaps even all the way…

Isume felt her breath freeze in her throat. To be completely honest, she wasn't sure what happened after this… _Could_ SesshoMaru get through the barrier and into Naraku's lair? Was Mount Hakurei the dark hanyou's last stand? Was that where he died? On that note, _did_ he die? She didn't know… Isume knew none of these things. It figures she'd be thrust into the part of the storyline she hadn't even read yet…

All she _did_ know was that _she_ wouldn't be able to destroy Naraku, herself…

"Isume…" a familiar, breathless voice came from directly in front of her. Startled, the young girl snapped her head in that direction, long, silky hair flying.

"Kohaku?" she exclaimed happily, leaping forward to envelop the young boy in a warm embrace. The joy at seeing a familiar face-one of the first that she'd seen, as a matter of fact-suffused in her cheeks, turning them a rosy-red. She could feel the heat of embarrassment emanating from his own face as she hugged him, and the smile would not leave her lips after that observation. "What are you doing here?" she asked after finally releasing him. His dark hair and short stature reminded her so much of the little brother she'd had…and lost…

"N-Naraku sent me to find you," he stumbled over the name, trying to regain his cool façade, though Isume could see right through it. Had he retained control over himself already? Was he no longer a puppet of Naraku's?

"Oh…" Isume replied simply, not quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Finally, she shook her head and motioned for the boy to lead the way. "Alright, then. Let's go!"

* * *

"Isume," Naraku's deep, dark voice reverberated off the walls of the cave when she walked in. Once again, his echoes failed to confuse her, and she pinpointed him right off the bat. "Leave us, Kohaku," he ordered the young boy who had brought her into his quarters. His scarlet eyes watched as his puppet bowed before leaving the cavern which served as the hanyou's bedroom. As soon as he was gone, Naraku walked out of the shadows.

"So…" he began, tone chilly and dark. Isume had to bite back a gasp as his fingers trailed over her neck. It was so dark in here that she could barely see his outline so she hadn't noticed him get so close so quickly. "I see that you are traveling with SesshoMaru now…" His claws prodded at her jugular, almost-threateningly before dropping down to her collar bone when she lacked the expected response of fear.

"Not on purpose," Isume argued, forcing her hands to remain at her sides even when Naraku's hand slipped one side of her kimono down her shoulder. "It's your fault, you know…" she let the sentence hang as her mind grew hazy at his ministrations at the base of her neck, forgetting her practiced argument altogether. "Wh-what are you d-doing?" she managed to stutter as soon as she felt herself falling backwards and onto something soft and springy.

'_A bed?'_ she thought, frightened yet excited all at once.

Naraku simply smirked and leaned close to her face, whispering two words over her lips before claiming them with his own. "Having fun…"

For the second time, she was being kissed by the evil monster who pursued the Shikon no tama and caused all kinds of misery to everyone involved with it. And, for the second time, despite all efforts, she was _enjoying_ it…

Before she even had the chance to kiss back-for which Isume was half-grateful-Naraku moved his kisses from her mouth to her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt his teeth close in on her skin more than once, leaving little fires down her neck all the way to her collar bone. She had to tighten her muscles to keep herself from arching against him when one of his hands found her bare thigh within the folds of her kimono. It took everything she had to keep the moans rammed down her throat.

This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't she wanted… Think about what he did to Kikyo, to InuYasha, Sango, Kohaku, Miroku! Think about all the pain and evil he's caused and, no doubt, will continue to cause in the future… For goodness' sake, he was evil!

"N-Naraku!" Isume exclaimed when his fingers wandered too close to the spot between her legs. Red covered her entire face, a combination of embarrassment and desire flushing her cheeks a beet-red. She could feel his lips curl upwards into a smug smirk against her neck before continuing his teasing nips and licks against her heated skin. Trying to keep in the moans that desperately wanted to be released from her throat, Isume clamped down on her tongue. Little spots of fire were cropping up all over her body from the hanyou's ministrations, threatening to overcome her determination not to succumb to the black-hearted Naraku. A gasp tore through her throat quickly followed by a groan as Naraku's experienced lips found the sweet spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her fingers fisted in the long dark curls spread across the bed and, consequently, her.

"You will scream my name one of these days," Naraku warned in his deep, dark voice, scarlet eyes sweeping over the red face and mussed hair of his proclaimed mate. His restraint faltered for a moment, but he quickly strengthened his resolve. He had plans to weave into his web before he could ensnare her in it. It did not matter how desirable she looked in his bed at this very moment. All he could do for now was sample a taste of what was to come, but not to take it. He could not afford to slip up.

"You wish," Isume bit out, whipping her head to the side so as not to look at him. Her cheeks were bright in embarrassment at what had almost transpired, but she refused to let it show in her voice. She could not believe she had almost allowed him to take her. Hell, she couldn't believe she had allowed him to _kiss_ her like that. . . .

_Oh, you know, you liked it._

_'Oh, crap,' _Isume thought bitterly to herself, making a mental grimace. _'Not _you_ again. . . .'_

_Geez. I love you, too. . . ._

_'I've got to be losing my mind. Talking to myself like this. . . .'_ Isume sighed aloud, momentarily forgetting that Naraku was still poised above her. She didn't realize how long they remained like that. She was only snapped out of her own, inner meanderings (ie, arguments with her inner self) when the dark hanyou dragged her off the bed.

"Where are we going _now_?" Isume complained with a whine to her voice, ignoring the amused look she got in return for her childishness. She couldn't help it; this was just how she was. Mood swings were her forte, so to speak…

"There is someone I want you to meet," Naraku answered in that mysterious way of his.

The white-haired woman frowned and pulled her hand out of his strong grip, hating the idea of being led around everywhere like a dog on a leash. She was no pet!

"Fine," she bit out, harsher than intended. Feeling the heat of his body radiate onto hers, she quickly sped past him and into the room beyond, having sense someone in that general direction. She hovered in the doorway, however, keeping to the shadows until Naraku came up next to her. Only then did she walk out into the open, heading towards the group gathered in the middle of the cavern.

"A girl?" the one that looked remarkably like a woman was the first to speak. Isume didn't know whether to be offended by his shocked tone or to expect such sexist thinking from these men who lived in the ancient days. It was just. . . . Well, _this_ one looked so much like a woman, she figured that he–of all people–would be the most reasonable. . . .

"Tch. What the hell use could a stupid wench be to _us_?" the feminine mercenary chided. Everything from his tone of voice to his posture screamed of disgust and intense loathing. He even gave her his most-withering glare in her direction.

Okay. She was offended. _Definitely_ offended. . . .Wait. . . .

"You're sending me with _them_?" Isume finally caught on to what Naraku had been insinuating earlier. Anger reddened her cheeks and flared in her silver eyes. Even her aura spiked dangerously, judging by the collective flinch the resurrected band of mercenaries gave soon after her outburst. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!" She growled low in her throat, instincts boiling deep in her belly at the offense. Being brushed aside like this by a man who claimed to want her as his "mate" did _not_–in no way–sit well with her. . . .

"Aw, come on, cutie!" the leader of the seven-man group teased with a grin. He didn't seem the least bit intimidated despite the obvious upset the partially-demonic woman was undergoing. "We're not all that bad! You're in good hands!" he reassured, throwing a strong arm around her shoulders in a "buddy-kind-of-way".

Isume didn't know whether she should shove him off or just go with it. In the end, she just allowed him to embrace her, promising to herself that if he tried anything funny then she'd let him have it. . . .

"Just get her to InuYasha and his friends," Naraku ordered with a growl of his own. His crimson eyes narrowed on the arm looped around Isume's neck as if wishing very much to bite it off. "In _exactly_ the way she is now," the dark hanyou stressed that last part, making sure Bankotsu knew what he meant.

Apparently he did since he smirked knowingly as he nodded in obedience. "Yeah, yeah. Of course, Naraku." He removed the offending arm from the girl, making sure to take a step back away from the confused female. "We better get going then. Come on, guys!" He and the others started walking away, leaving a slightly-less-irritated Isume behind. "Better keep up, Isume!" Bankotsu yelled back at her, amusement lacing his youthful voice.

Jumping at the unexpected order, the silver-haired girl gave Naraku one last withering look before jogging off after the infamous Band of Seven.


End file.
